About the Book

This is the story of our lives, and the drama surrounding our restaurant and bar. We spent years engrossed in laying the groundwork, which led to our ambition getting off the ground.

We opened Bob’s Gridiron Grille and the Pigskin Pub in Lincoln, Nebraska, known worldwide as Cornhusker country. Totally convinced my one-of-a-kind collection of Nebraska football memorabilia would be a draw, I was dead wrong.

This is not a how-to-book. How could it be? We failed. We’re not qualified to tell anybody anything, other than what we experienced.

This memoir delves into the why, the wherefore, and the what. Why did I want a restaurant? What did we do to plan for our venture, and what exactly happened?

Nothing turned out the way we designed; instead, our dream turned into something out of a horror story.

I should have listened to Susan, who was supportive, though skeptical. More than once, she pointed out, “A restaurant involves hard work, long hours, employee problems, customer complaints, health inspections, and government regulations,” but I didn’t hear her.

I understand now, but I was too busy doing what I wanted to do. I had it all calculated, determined the place would be a destination spot, but things got mucked up along the way.

In telling this cautionary tale, our intent is not to rain on anyone’s parade, only to point out a few obstacles. If you are not prepared to enter this competitive and extremely oversaturated market, then what we’ve written will prove worthwhile. I wish I’d had a book like this in my hands before we started. If I had, maybe we would have done things differently, or perhaps not at all.

Once I was told by a man I greatly respected, “A smart man learns from his mistakes, but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others.”

Our sincere hope is what we have shared serves a purpose.

We welcome you inside our old establishment, opening the doors one final time.